United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has announced plans to develop vaccine cold chains in Nigeria and 31 countries in Africa and Latin America affected by Covid-19.
The UN agency plans to carry out the development of he vaccine cold chains with support from the government of Japan.
Development Diaries gathered that the Asian country announced that it will provide approximately U.S.$39 million in emergency funds to UNICEF for the project.
The support from Japan complements the work of the COVAX Facility, an international vaccine procurement mechanism working to ensure that people in all countries have quick and equitable access to vaccines.
‘With these funds, UNICEF will work with the government to provide cold chain equipment in priority storage sites based on gap analyses, to improve storage capacity for vaccines and facilitate monitoring of the vaccine potency’, UNICEF said in a statement.
‘This has a far-reaching impact on the overall goal of the Covid-19 prevention strategy in the country through vaccination, as well as the entire immunisation programme for child survival’.
According to the humanitarian organisation, a walk-in freezer room will be installed in each of the selected six states.
‘This includes solar vaccine refrigerators to be installed in 175 wards that have a gap in vaccine storage capacity’, the statement noted.
The development partner also said that temperature monitoring devices will be installed across 18 state cold stores, and technical assistance will be provided to carry out the setting up and maintenance of the equipment and devices.
‘We welcome the generous support of the government and the people of Japan to Nigeria, as we continue to grapple with the impact of Covid-19’, the statement quoted UNICEF Nigeria Officer in Charge, Rushnan Murtaza, as saying.
‘These funds will allow us to more effectively implement the strategy to ensure as many Nigerians as possible receive Covid-19 vaccinations, ensuring timeliness and efficacy of the vaccines, so that we can work towards a better future for all.
‘UNICEF will continue to work with the government of Nigeria, government of Japan and other partners to support the Covid-19 response and to deliver positive outcomes for child survival and promote equitable access to vaccines for all’.
UNICEF has played a central role in supporting the procurement, transportation, and storage of Covid-19 vaccines to Nigeria and other countries.
Source: UNICEF Nigeria
Photo source: NCDC
